Chandy in trouble

Coming out in support of its Kerala units demand for the resignation of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy over the solar panel scam

Coming out in support of its Kerala units demand for the resignation of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy over the solar panel scam,the latest edition of the CPM weekly Peoples Democracy argues that as long as Chandy continues in office,there can be no impartial inquiry into the matter. The editorial notes that after the involvement of the office of the chief minister and the links with Chandy came to light,the trail has led to the chief minister himself.

A personal assistant of the chief minister is now in custody after his links with the scamsters were established… When evidence came to light of the chief minister having a personal involvement in the affair,he sought to deny any links. But the fact that the chief minister had a one hour discussion with Biju Radhakrishnan and the presence of Saritha Nair in Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi… punctured his denials, it says.

The CPI journal New Age trains its guns at the UPA government on the economic front. It is critical of the government for easing FDI norms in several key sectors and argues that UPA 2,in the name of economic reform,is taking steps to ruin the economy by embracing neoliberal policies. Under pressure from the corporate sector and multinational corporations… UPA 2 has opened the floodgates for foreign capital to take over whatever is left of our key sectors like finance and defence production, the editorial says. It rejects as bogus claims that the move will increase inflow of foreign investment and arrest the downward slide of rupee,besides boosting growth and generating employment.

It [FDI will further make the country dependent on others… and in no way generate job opportunities, it states.

BIHAR TRAGEDY

CPI(ML) journal ML Update focuses on the midday meal tragedy in Bihar and attacks both the Centre as well as the state government. The Central government treats the midday meal (MDM) scheme as a great innovation that has improved enrolment and retention rate of students at the primary level in rural areas,while ensuring some basic nutrition to children. And Nitish Kumar is always busy congratulating himself for the great turnaround he claims to have brought about in Bihar. Both these claims lie shattered in the wake of the Masrakh MDM massacre of at least 25 kids, the editorial says. It argues that the Masrakh incident should not be treated as an isolated instance. The Masrakh massacre must lead to a thorough overhauling of the MDM scheme, it says. It also claims that the MDM scheme is the victim of official negligence and corruption.